This is a new concept to a bunch of board games. It’s the idea that you can do one thing and then add in some rules later. And I’ll go into examples comin up here, and in concept it is a good idea. In practice, sometimes it works better than others and we’ll go into why.

Simpler Mode vs Tutorial in Board Games

While the simpler mode does offer that feeling of an easy way to play, it is not a tutorial. It is the main game just with a few rules stripped away. A game that I think of is Calico. It is the exact same game but you are balancing less. You only keep track of getting cats and buttons, not of getting the mid quilt scoring objectives. So same game but easier to keep track of everything.

A tutorials goal is to get you up to speed with the whole game. Often times that is going to be walking you through things, but other times it might not. I think of Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion. It adds in rules each time that you play. Or ISS Vanguard, Tainted Grail or Sleeping Gods, they walk you through each action that you’ll do so you learn the game that way. It’s much more guided.

Why Simpler Modes are Nice

The easy reason is that it makes a game more accessible for more players. By limiting what you need to keep track of, it is going to make the game easier to teach and learn. And that makes it easier for anyone to pick up.

The goal, I think for most, is to be treated like a tutorial. You learn the game and play it and then you advance to the more advanced rules. Though, unlike a tutorial that brings you threw that easier play into more complex game play, you don’t ever need to advance beyond the simpler mode.

Where It Can Fall Down

However, as I’ve played games with simpler modes, I do think they fall down at times. In particular the common way to handle it is to make the game simpler by removing objectives or goals. That sometimes helps, but other times it opens up things too much.

An example of this is Planet Unknown or I would say Railroad Ink as well. In the simplified versions you have limited but general objectives. Fill up your planet and move up your tracks in Planet Unknown. Which track do you go up, which one is the best, who knows, probably the one giving you the most points. But when you play on the more complex side you get different powers and abilities. And each thing you build and what track you go up on, that is all about your specific planet and corporation.

So it goes from a basically, do whatever you want, to a focused game. Now that might sound restricting, but for a newer player to the game, it can be freeing. It gives them a specific thing to focus on. It might be get as much water as you can, or build up as much biomass in Planet Unknown. They get a specific track to move on and a specific goal to face.

Is This Mode Good for Board Games?

So that lands us on if this is good? Because I think it depends on some of the games. Because it depends on what the game is trying to do with it or how the game works really.

Calico is intentionally trying to make the game hard when you play with the quilt scoring objectives. No long does it break up the quilt for a minor annoyance, now you need to perfectly plan where everything goes. So for a new gamer, it is better with the simplified rules.

On the flip side with Planet Unknown or Railroad Ink (vs Railroad Ink Challenge), it leaves it so open that it doesn’t give you great options. Everything is a good option so you want to dabble a bit in it all. It isn’t opening up that really tight board game. It is instead making it too open and directionless.

Another example is Isle of Cats where you can just try and collect and rescue cats into groups. But a lot of the fun of the game is getting your scoring objectives and seeing who can get cats first. Now, for this one, I want a happy medium, actually. I think some of the elements, like getting baskets and feet, that isn’t needed. But the scoring objectives, private and global, make for a more interesting and focused game.

Do you have a game that you really like the simpler mode, either for play or teaching?

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